The deformation mechanisms of a single crystal nickel-base superalloy with and without Ru-doped have been investigated under out-of-phase thermomechanical fatigue. The Ru-doped alloy exhibits a thermomechanical fatigue life more than twice as high compared to the Ru-free alloy and a difference in thermomechanical fatigue behavior is also displayed. Microstructure studies by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the deformation mechanism of the Ru-free alloy in the initial stage is the movement of dislocations in the γ matrix. In the later stage of the thermomechanical fatigue test, large amounts of twins are formed in the material, and a large number of stacking faults and dislocations are sheared into the γ' precipitates. By comparing with the Ru-free alloy, the Ru-doped alloy has a higher matrix strength due to the solid solution strengthening effect of Ru, and is also prone to different deformation mechanisms. For example, the stacking faults are formed in the initial thermomechanical fatigue cycles and remain in the matrix throughout the entire thermomechanical fatigue process. The formation of twins, on the other hand, is suppressed by Ru addition. Such effects are believed to extend the thermomechanical fatigue life effectively.

Exploring crack growth behaviour is needed to establish accurate fatigue life predictions. Cracked specimens were tested under strain-controlled out-of-phase thermomechanical fatigue conditions. The tests included dwell times and three different minimum temperatures. Higher minimum temperature gave faster crack growth rates while the additions of dwell times showed no effects. Crack closure was observed in all the tests where the addition of dwell times and change in minimum temperature displayed little to no effect on crack closure stresses. Finite element models with a sharp stationary crack and material parameters switching provided acceptable predictions for the maximum, minimum, and crack closure stresses.

A new accelerated creep assessment method to evaluate the creep performance of metals and alloys from high-temperature tensile tests, i.e. slow-strain-rate testing (SSRT), is proposed and evaluated. The method consists of decomposing the inelastic strain into a plastic and creep component by adopting general assumptions on the inelastic strain behaviour of materials, formulated using a state variable formalism and verified by tensile tests with intermediate dwell times at constant stress. Either, the plastic and creep strain components are considered non-interacting and additive, as observed in the stainless steel AISI 316L at 600 °C. Or, as in the case of the ductile cast iron EN-GJS-SiMo5-1 at 500 °C and the nickel-base superalloy Hastelloy X at 800 °C, the components are considered unified, meaning that the effect of inelastic straining is the same irrespective of whether it is caused through creep at constant stress or by plastic deformation due to an instantaneous stress increase. Based on these assumptions, the proposed method is used to assess the creep strain from SSRT in good agreement with conventional creep test results.

Strain-controlled out-of-phase thermo-mechanical fatigue tests at 100–500 °C and various strain ranges were conducted on five cast iron grades, including one lamellar, three compacted and one spheroidal graphite iron. Investigations of graphite morphology and matrix characteristics were performed to associate parameters, such as geometrical features of graphite inclusions and the matrix microhardness, to the thermo-mechanical fatigue performance of each grade. From this, thermo-mechanical fatigue life as a function of maximum stress at half-life, is found to decrease consistently with increasing average graphite inclusion length irrespective of the graphite content. In contrast, no evident correlation between the fatigue life and the matrix microhardness is observed.

Understanding of crack growth behaviour is necessary to predict accurate fatigue lives. Out-of-phase thermomechanical fatigue crack propagation tests were performed on FB2 steel used in high-temperature steam turbine sections. Testing results showed crack closure where the compressive part of the fatigue cycle affected crack growth rate. Crack closing stress was observed to be different, and had more influence on the growth rate, than crack opening stress. Crack growth rate was largely controlled by the minimum temperature of the cycle, which agreed with an isothermal crack propagation test. Finite element models with stationary sharp cracks captured the crack closure behaviour.

The crack driving mechanisms in a coarse grained nickel-base superalloy RR1000 when subjected to in- and out of phase thermo mechanical fatigue are investigated. It is found that the difference in fatigue crack growth rate between these two load conditions is accounted for by the different mechanical conditions at the crack tip region, rather than oxidation effects. This is based on digital image correlation and finite element analyses of the mechanical strain field at the crack tip, which demonstrate that in phase leads to larger crack tip deformation and crack opening. Notably, it is demonstrated that in- and out of phase crack growth rates coincide when correlated to the crack tip opening displacement.

Due to increasing demands on sustainability exerted by end-costumers and policy makers, heavyvehicle manufacturers are urged to increase the engine efficiency in order to reduce the exhaust gas emission. However, increasing the efficiency is also associated with an elevated fatigue rate of the materials constituting the engine parts, which consequently reduces the engine service life. The aim of the present thesis is therefore to confront the expected increase by studying the fatigue behaviour and damage mechanisms of the materials typically employed in heavy-vehicle diesel engines. With this knowledge, this work seeks to guide the development of new heavy-vehicle engine materials, as well as to develop improved life estimation methods designated to assist the mechanical design of durable heavy-vehicle engines.

In essence, a large set of thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) and combined thermomechanical and high-cycle fatigue (TMF-HCF) tests is conducted at engine load conditions on laboratory specimens of lamellar, compacted and spheroidal graphite iron. In this way, the fatigue performance and associated damage mechanisms are investigated. In particular, a new fatigue property is identified, the TMF-HCF threshold, which quantifies how resistant a material is to superimposed high-cycle fatigue.

The damage mechanism at low temperatures (≲500°C) is confirmed to consist of the initiation, propagation and coalescence of numerous microcracks. Based on this, a successful fatigue life estimation model is formulated, allowing accurate estimations of TMF and TMF-HCF tests on smooth specimens, and TMF tests on notched specimens. In the latter case, the microcrack growth behaviour in non-uniform cyclic stress fields and its implications for life estimation are clarified. At elevated temperatures (≳500°C), surface oxidation is shown to govern the fatigue performance of cast iron grades intended for exhaust manifolds. It is observed that oxide intrusions are induced, from which surface fatigue cracks are initiated. Consequently, an optimal material at these conditions should have a low oxide growth rate and few casting defects at the surface, as these factors are found to stimulate the growth of intrusion.